This course is a part of the Digital Museum Project which started in FY2009. The project aims at putting rapidly advancing digital technology and information technology to practical use at museums in order to boost their activities. The project depends on the success in not only development of the technology but also that of human resources, more precisely, that of curators to manage museum activities. Giving consideration to this fact, Ritsumeikan University has launched the Digital Museum Human Resources Development Plan. This Plan is to research what is expected for curators in the digital age in terms of information technology and knowledge and how they can manage museums by using digital technology effectively—the research to design a new educational curriculum for curators. As a part of the Plan, in February 2011, the university will hold a five-day workshop for those who have museum experience and graduate students interested in pursuing museum careers. The workshop presents them with an exciting opportunity to learn about the bases of the digital museum, including how to digitize museum collections and how to use digital technology in various museum settings. With scholarships available, we hope many will join the workshop. Please understand that we will give the highest priority of the scholarships to those who are interested in Japanese arts and cultures, regardless of their Japanese proficiency. This is because, for digitization, Course 1 of a series of the workshops will focus on cultural property, artworks, historical documents, and movie films, all of which were made in Japan.

Course Curriculum: The workshop includes lectures, labs, and study tours. Day 1 on Feb. 7, Monday “Curators in the Digital Age and Databases”Day 2 on Feb. 8, Tuesday “Digital Archives of Historical Documents”Day 3 on Feb. 9, Wednesday “Digital Archives of Japanese and Chinese Classics”Day 4 on Feb. 10, Thursday “Digital Archives of Old Films”Day 5 on Feb. 11, Friday “Digital Archives of Three-dimensional Objects” Wrap-up MeetingAfter the course, participants are expected to submit a report.

Scholarships:Maximum 11 scholarships will be available, as follows: The scholarship will cover your tuition, travel expense, accommodations, as well as provide you with small daily allowance.  The scholarship will cover your travel expense between where you live and Kyoto, whether you live overseas or in Japan.

How to Apply for the Workshop:Please submit your curriculum vitae and Application Form (prescribed; attached to this mail) with three references as e-mail attachments to Mr. Tasuku Aoyagi at: t-aoyagi@st.ritsumei.ac.jp by January 23, 2011.

Sponsored by: Digital Museum ProjectFeasibility Study for Digital Museums Research and Development in Experimental Systems for Digital MuseumsCosponsored by: MEXT Global COE (Center of Excellence) Program Digital Humanities Center for Japanese Arts and Culture, Ritsumeikan University; and Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University

----------------------------------------------------------This workshop is a part of the Digital Museum Project which aims at developing new types of museums to fully utilize digital information technology. For that purpose, the Project conducts the research toward the development of integrated systems which allow museum-goers to experience culture interactively with their five senses. The project puts the greatest emphasis on the human resources development of curators in the digital age. Such “digital curators” are expected to not only understand digital technology and environment but also to make full use of the technology to the extent that they could design museum exhibitions to bring out the best in exhibits, as well as retrieve, organize, and distribute digital data. The Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University is the base for MEXT Global COE (Center of Excellence) Program Digital Humanities Center for Japanese Arts and Culture. Appropriate to the digital age, the Center members are conducting research and educational activities to bring information technology in the Humanities research. The Center’s major projects include the Virtual Kyoto Project, and digital archiving of various cultural properties, both intangible (classic performing arts) and tangible (ukiyo-e, historical documents, and artifacts) and their global information-sharing.